A recent article by the Lake County Gazette on District 115's troubling trends regarding student performance, fiscal responsibility, and transparency has elicited responses from concerned residents of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.
Admittedly, we have been caught off guard by this negative press coverage and are not pleased to see our district- which was once the envy of North Shore school districts- making headlines negatively.
While we do not enjoy these headlines, we believe that for real systemic change to occur, we must have some difficult conversations. The days of "whistle a happy tune" because it feels good must not continue. It is an approach that has been adult-centric and produced the lowest student scores on records coupled with record-high spending. We want our schools to excel, and we recognize that for them to do so, our elected Board representatives and school district administration must acknowledge the areas in which they have faltered.
Below are some of the responses we have received to the Gazette article. While we share some of the concerns highlighted in this story, we want to remind our readers that Parents Care does not necessarily endorse the views expressed by the Lake County Gazette or submitted to us by local citizens.
The Community Reacts:
"I don't believe anyone in our community thought the day would ever come when we became the example for poor practices in northern Illinois. The school boards and administration has to stop patting themselves on the back and support our teachers and student as our young folks will be the ones to pay this price for their misrepresentation of the true state of our schools."
- Jeff Brincat, Board President of Parents Care
"As a taxpayer and longtime community member, I am dismayed by this characterization of our school system but feel it is a fair criticism given what I have witnessed over the past few years."
- Joel H.
"Should any of us be surprised?! This is exactly what I have been telling my friends and neighbors, but until recently, I haven't seen many willing to speak up. Thankfully it seems that is beginning to change!"
- Anne L.
"When I read the Gazette piece, all I could think was: where is OUR Board? I voted for people I thought would represent the best interests of our community and NOT that of the district's administrative bureaucracy. Let's step up our game and demand results and accountability now!"
- Deb F.
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